Creator: Haim Saban
Starring: Alex Heartman, Erika Fong, Hector David Jr, Najee De-Tiege, Brittany Anne Pirtle, Rene Naufahu, Paul Schrier, Felix Ryan, Steven Skyler,
Running Time: 180 minutes
Certificate: PG
Power Rangers Samurai have now become Power Rangers Super Samurai. As the brand name continues to go strong in its 21st year, the show really hasn’t changed that much in any way shape or form. That can be seen as both a negative and a positive. The important thing to remember is that Power Rangers has always aimed specifically at its young audience. It hasn’t expected fans to return year after year for the last 20 years, and as such the formula remains the same. A group of teens join together to become brightly coloured superheroes, they face some life challenges, a monster appears, they doubt themselves, they win, monster becomes big, Power Rangers summon their giant robots, fight, the end.
Pretty much every episode follows this pattern, and it’s important to remember that this show began in a time where binge-watching wasn’t a word or even possible. It would be a weekly offering for a young crowd who would probably feel safe and comfortable knowing what the specific beats would be.
The band of heroes is comprised of your usual selection of characters. There’s the natural leader (Heartman), the serious one (De-Tiege), the jokester (David Jr.), and a few others too. The female characters are especially bland though, and overall the friendship element is played upon far too heavily. I know the entire show should reflect teamwork and trust in one another, but the show seems to push that ideology too far. Even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Thundercats had quarrels from time to time. Here, it feels as though the idea of teamwork becomes unsettlingly self-centred at times. One plot sees Mia’s (Fong) brother come to town to play a gig, after disparaging him from pursuing his music career and refusing to sing with him, she suddenly decides to be supportive by just walking on stage during a song with microphone in hand. Another see Blue Ranger (De-Tiege) step in for an injured member of his swim team, despite having left the team without saying goodbye over a year ago.
The lack of conflict, other than monsters, becomes comical at times, when we see Gold Ranger, Antonio (Skyler) become afraid of fish after having been turned into one and nearly eaten by a cat. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, and it, like many of the shows moralistic and internal struggles, is wrapped up exactly when the plot calls for it to be so. The acting isn’t great, with exaggerated facial expressions that are probably there for emotionally inept children, whereas the actors themselves are attractive, non-threatening individuals perfect for the young audience.
Although the themes and characters being aimed so young don’t really tie in with the gruesome monsters and lengthy fight sequences, the battles are still the most fun to be had. Bizarre looking creatures that still come across as original after all these years litter every episode, and although the dubbing of the creatures is just as loud and grating as ever, your brain soon adapts to all the shows pitfalls. It is what it is, and isn’t trying to be anything different. Power Rangers may have not changed over the years, and maybe that’s a good thing.
[usr=3]POWER RANGERS: THE SUPER-POWERED BLACK BOX is released on DVD on 17th February.
